Emma Ruth Rundle- These Killing Times (Album Review)

Emma Ruth Rundle’s solo material has drawn a wide range of listeners over the past decade or so, as while the core of albums like Marked for Death and On Dark Horses was sparser folk and alternative rock, there has also been a darker and drearier tone that had some metallic and grunge crossovers.  I was first drawn in by Marked for Death in 2016, which contrasted the fragility and airier qualities of Emma Ruth Rundle’s voice with dense layers of sound and distortion that were as much doom and shoegaze as they were alternative rock.  A later collaboration with Thou reinforced the crossover with the metal and punk sides of the spectrum, but recent releases have gone in a more experimental dimension.  2021’s Engine of Hell was the most stripped down to date, taking things from a full band to Emma Ruth Rundle solo, and EG2: Dowsing Voice took things in a more avant-garde and psychedelic direction.  For those that missed the leans into shoegaze and heavier exploration, this year’s These Killing Times brings back a lot of those elements while also trying some new things.  With a full band lineup back in place alongside a slew of guests, These Killing Times leaves a lasting impression through equal amounts of dense, jagged riffs and fragile melodies.

While the return to a fuller sound and walls of distortion certainly reminds me of Emma Ruth Rundle’s material from a decade ago, the way that These Killing Times shifts between these big, crashing moments and much sparser ones that let lighter and fragile melodies hover over the recording makes it feel like everything that was utilized on Engine of Hell has been applied here as well.  Compared to past material, the songs on this album find the best balance of soft and heavy, with opener “Powerless” immediately showcasing just how entrancing this combination can be.  Upon pressing play listeners are met with somber piano, but then crashing drums and dense, distorted guitar and bass bring in elements of shoegaze and doom into the mix that add both literal and emotional weight.  The dense peaks that then crash back into muted guitar are effective, and it’s this type of back and forth that makes the songwriting so powerful.  Each one builds in different ways, whether it’s the softer folk and alternative slant of “God’s Picture” that is supported by guest saxophonist Patrick Shiroishi, the hazier and more psychedelic shades on “Catherine Wheel”, or even the extremely noisy and metallic chaos that “Enough” explodes into around the three-quarter mark.  Compared to Marked for Death, These Killing Times has its fair share of gloom and melancholy, but there are bright spots that punctuate it and alongside the noisier bursts it feels like a wide range of emotions and ideas are crammed in.  I was initially concerned the lengths of some of the later songs might be a bit too much, but even with “Human Kindness” sprawling towards the eight-and-a-half-minute mark there is plenty to keep you on the edge of your seat the whole way through.  I really like the diversity this album offers, as while you still get more straightforward alternative singer-songwriter takes like “Don’t Delay Heaven” that have plenty of emotive hooks, the unexpected details on tracks like “Catherine Wheel” and “Enough” push towards other ends of the rock and metal spectrum.  The list of collaborators is worth mentioning too, as the core lineup of Jess Gowrie (Chelsea Wolfe), Troy Zeigler, and Nick Reinhart (Tera Melos) gel perfectly with Rundle and really make the sound pop, while Gina Gleason’s (Baroness) guest guitar work on “Catherine Wheel” is one of the reasons it’s a highlight for me.

As with many singer-songwriters, the power and hooks from the instrumentation are just one piece of the puzzle and Emma Ruth Rundle’s ability to move from subdued, fragile singing into powerful, full pitches that soar have given her music lasting impact over the years.  This is once again the case on These Killing Times, and with the fuller and bigger production values this also seems like the clearest Rundle’s voice has ever been on a recording.  Where she sometimes got swallowed up in the waves of distortion and noise on earlier efforts, the singing always remains a focal point throughout the material and the way things ebb and flow on songs like “Anvil” is entrancing.  There are equal amounts of darkness and light to the performance, and the raw emotion that drew me to Emma Ruth Rundle’s earlier work shines through on this newest effort.  When I first saw the list of guest collaborators on the vocal side, I was concerned this could turn into one of those albums where the guests overshadow everything Rundle was doing, but in practice the performances are more muted than one might expect.  Thou’s Bryan Funckand Deafheaven’s George Clarke both appear towards the end of These Killing Times, but opt for cleaner and more subdued contributions, while Marissa Nadler, Lukas Frank (Storefront Church) and Amelia Baker (Cinder Well)also contribute their own subtle elements to the vocal performances.  Some of these guest spots wouldn’t even necessarily jump out at you unless you were looking at the credits beforehand, but there’s something to be said for how nuanced they are compared to the way guests dominate a lot of albums.

For those listeners who may not have found the sparser solo work or more experimental flourishes of Emma Ruth Rundle’s more recent efforts clicked with them, These Killing Times heads back towards the soft to loud build-ups and denser shoegaze and alternative directions that defined her earlier work and is more likely to be their speed.  There are still bursts of experimentation and a lot of nuances behind each song, but each one also has hooks that grab you from that first time through and encourage you to dive further in.  I’ll need more time with this one to decide if it’s truly her best or not, but it’s certainly close just from these initial listens. 

-Review by Chris Dahlberg